Books of Blood
Is it fair to say that this horror anthology missed a golden opportunity to have, as its title song, a cover of the classic Monotones song, “The Book of Love,” but substituting love with blood? I think Brannon Braga’s film would have benefited nicely from that bit of dark comedy, but that’s just me.
My favorite horror anthology will always be “Creepshow,” but when “Books of Blood,” adapted from the works of Clive Barker, was announced, I’ll admit that I got more than a little excited. Between this and the (now delayed) “Candyman” remake, as well as more projects down the pipeline, Barker’s been seeing a resurgence, and this October, I’m doing a bit of a deep dive into his directorial work, as well as reading some of his stories. I have not read much from his collections, The Book of Blood, but I am curious to now. I’m finding myself responding strongly to his written word.
The film has three different stories it tells, though only one directly adapted from a Barker story (although Barker did, supposedly, have a hand in developing the other two stories with Braga and Adam Simon). That would be the titular story, The Book of Blood, and we start out with a tough guy, Bennett, coming into a book store at night, trying to collect a debt from the owner. The owner doesn’t have any money, but he does have information for Bennett before he is killed involving the Book of Blood, which is fairly valuable. Bennett and his partner drive off, and the anthology begins properly after that.
Up first is “Jenna.” The titular character (Britt Robertson) is a young woman living with her parents after a traumatic event. She has a condition where noises are amplified, setting her on edge, and she has gone off her meds. She has a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, but she can’t stay with her parents any longer, and just feel trapped. She gets some money, and runs away to a nearby town. She finds a B&B to stay at, and while it seems inviting at first, the longer she stays, the more her anxiety ramps up; it feels like someone is following her. That might be the least of her worries, however.
Next up is “Miles,” and we begin with Mary Florescu (Anna Friel), a psychic researcher, speaking to a group of potential donors to her latest research project. Her love, Simon, is by her side, and she is asked to recount the story of how they met. It involves her now-deceased son, Miles, and Simon’s claim that he is a medium for the dead. Is he, or is he just faking? Mary sets out to discredit him, but what she experiences feels outside the realm of what she initially thinks is happening.
The film closes with “Bennett,” and we have circled back to the two men from the beginning, driving, going to retrieve the Book of Blood. While the stories feel fairly tame compared to other Barker that I’m familiar with, I really like the way Braga and Simon have structured this particular anthology, giving us clues along the way to the nature of the reality of this film, while tying everything together in a compelling manor. Fans of Barker will catch on to the different elements Braga has re-contextualized into this film- which was originally going to be a series- and made this more than just, “here’s a story,” “here’s another story,” with a flimsy framing device to introduce each one. Everything is connected here, and it’s one of the more entertaining aspects of “Books of Blood.”
How well “Books of Blood” works is determined by the individual stories. “Jenna” is, easily, the best of the stories, as it really digs into trauma and anxiety on a level that literature is capable of, and Robertson gives a terrific performance as Jenna. As each layer of the story unfolds, the endgame just gets more and more unsettling; it’s a great horror narrative. “Miles” is interesting, and I’m curious to see how it stands up with its literary predecessor (as it’s the clear adaptation of The Book of Blood, based on my understanding. It doesn’t have the emotional hook that “Jenna” does, so it’s a step below, in my opinion. “Bennett” as a narrative is completely forgettable, but in the way it ties everything together, it succeeds quite well, and honestly, the film leaves us wanting more. I certainly hope we get it.
